Ranthambore Fort

Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical
developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in
Rajasthan.It is surrounded today and lies within the famous Ranthambore National
Park which was formerly the hunting grounds for the Maharajahs of Jaipur before
Indian independence.The name Ranthambore is an amagmation of the names of two
hills-Ran And Thanbor.As the fort is located within the two hills this massive
structure is called Ranthambore Fort.Though the exact origin of the fort is
unknown the settlement around it dates back to the 8th century.

History

The fortress of Ranthambore was founded in 944 by the Chauhan(TATU MEENA)
Rajputs.The fortress commanded a strategic location, 700 feet above the
surrounding plain. After the defeat of the Chauhan king Prithviraj III by
Muhammad of Ghor in 1192, Ranthambore, led by Govinda Raja, grandson of
Pritviraj, became the center of Chauhan resistance to the expanding Sultanate of
Delhi. Govinda Raja was succeeded by his son Balhana.The Delhi Sultan Iltutmish
captured Ranthambore in 1226, but the Chauhans recaptured it after his death in
1236. The armies of Sultan Nasir ud din Mahmud, led by the future Sultan Balban,
unsuccessfully besieged the fortress in 1248 and 1253, but captured from
Jaitrasingh Chauhan in 1259. shakti Dev succeeded Jaitrasingh in 1283, and
recaptured Ranthambore and enlarged the kingdom. Sultan Jalal ud din Firuz
Khilji briefly besieged the fort in 1290-91. In 1299, Hamir Dev sheltered
Muhammad Shah, a rebel general of Sultan Ala ud din Khilji, and refused to turn
him over to the Sultan. The sultan unsuccessfully besieged the fortress in 1299,
but returned in 1301 to personally oversee a long siege, and succeeded in
capturing the fort.The fortress was captured by the kingdom of bemawar under
Rana Hamir Singh (1326–1364) and Rana Kumbha (1433–1468). After the reign of
Rana Kumbha's successor Rana Udai Singh I (1468–1473) the fortress passed to the
Hada Rajputs of Bundi. Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat captured the fortress from
1532 to 1535. The Mughal Emperor Akbar captured the fortress in 1559.The
fortress passed to the Kachwaha Maharajas of Jaipur in the 17th century, and it
remained part of Jaipur state until Indian Independence. The area surrounding
the fortress became a hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur. Jaipur state
acceded to India in 1949, becoming part of the state of Rajasthan in 1950.Inside
Ranthambore fort there are three Hindu temples dedicated to Ganesh, Shiva and
Ramlalaji constructed in 12th and 13th centuries from red Karauli stone. There
is also a Jain temple of Lord Sumatinath (5th Jain Tirthankar) and Lord
Sambhavanath (3rd Jain Tirthankar) within the premises.

Architecture

The Ranthambore Fort is located at the top of a rocky outcrop in the middle of
the forest, which almost literally marks the meeting of the Aravali and Vindhya
hills ranges. A marked difference can be noticed in the terrain in front of and
that behind the fort. The fort is huge and covers an area of approximately 7
kilometers in circumference. It is one of the oldest forts in the country and is
said to have been built in 944 AD a Chauhan warrior. Due to it's location and
structure, it is considered to have been one of the most difficult forts to
overthrow. It repulsed attempts by great warriors such as Alaudin Khilji,
Kutub-ud-din, Feroz Tughlaq, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. The most successful ruler
of this fort is known to have been Rao Hammir in the 11th century.